


Fairy Tales

by shelovestoship



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Don't worry! This is going to be like 5 chapters max, F/M, I'm just gonna milk this whole Ethan thing, I'm setting a record of fics where Juliet breaks up with him, also some more tragic Juliet backstory, and maybe some angsty Magnum past stuff too, not starting another long fic until I'm done with the others, so I lied it's going to be more chapters than 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29182806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shelovestoship/pseuds/shelovestoship
Summary: Why would Juliet be so against Ethan reading her creative writing assignment..?(Could it have something to do with a certain White Knight?)
Relationships: Juliet Higgins/Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, miggy - Relationship
Comments: 88
Kudos: 199





	1. Not Telling

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this sitting in the dark, with my sunglasses on... not even laser eye surgery can apparently prevent me from writing fan fiction. And after owning this laptop for like a year I’ve just discovered it as a glowing key-board function which is sooo coool!
> 
> Swedish weather update: Cold enough I needed to carry my dog home during his evening walk because his tiny little paws got too cold (-12C currently which I think is 10F?). And I think we're supposed to get another 5 inches of snow tomorrow. Walking to work on Friday is going to be a joy...
> 
> Also (SPOILERS? Theories?) I’m kind of thinking the 3x08 will be Ethan’s exit episode. I mean, maybe not but maybe? Depending on what they’re doing with him. But because it’s an Ethan-part-of-the-summary/case I feel like something to do with him/ Higgy will go down. And since we do have an episode that is called “Magnum and Higgins” (3x12), followed by one called “Computer Date” I’m low-key very excited for my faves at least getting their hug this season(also for maybe an Higgy centric episode? Maybe?)

## Not Telling

“I’m not gonna show it to you,” Juliet said in a teasing yet firm voice as she and Ethan came up behind Magnum as he sat at the bar. La Mariana was back to at least having some customers but sadly for Rick it wasn’t exactly booming.

“Come on! It’s just a story!”

“Not happening,” she said cheekily. Magnum liked it when she used that tone with him. He didn’t like it when she did it with Ethan.

“Oh come on! I’ve taken a bullet out of you and you one out of me. That gotta be enough for you to trust me with your fairy tale!” Ethan insisted, further intriguing Magnum.

“What you guys talking about?” he asked, spinning around on his bar stool.

“Juliet won’t let me read her fairy tale,” Ethan said, nodding to Rick behind the bar.

“Your fairy tale?” Magnum asked, a little confused, because well...this was Juliet Higgins. Fairy tales weren’t really something he associated with his badass no-nonsense partner.

Juliet sighed. “It was just this creative writing class I took last summer. Ethan saw the folder on my tablet when I was showing him some pictures of my old flat in England.”

Magnum felt unreasonably jealous of the fact that she’d shown Ethan pictures of something from her past. Something she’d never showed him.

He also hated the possibility of why she might have done so. Showing how she liked to decorate her home...and how she would like to possibly decorate one with Ethan in the future.

Of course, that wouldn’t happen. 

Like he’d told her in the jungle when she’d just started going out with Ethan, the odds were that she and Ethan would last weren’t good. Were they? They had been going out for four months now. He’d even stopped counting the dates (after fourteen, it just seemed silly. Okay, maybe he still was counting...and maybe this one made 19).

“You never showed me any pictures of your apartment!” He was unable not to point out. “And you never told me you took a creative writing class.”

“Why would I have?” she said, in her normal Higgy way. “Besides, it was before we became partners. And I wasn’t very good.”

“Didn’t you say you’d the only class you ever got less than B in was Art?” Ethan said, sitting to Magnum’s left. "You can't have been that bad!"

“I don’t know,” Magnum retorted as Higgy sat on his right, looking a bit annoyed. He smiled into his beer, kind of happy that he was between the two. No annoying touch-feel going down for a bit. “I can’t see it. Higgins writing fiction?”

“Of course you can’t,” she said, pulling a napkin from the dispenser. “Then again, you can hardly be called an avid literature critic now can you?”

“Hey!” he said, a little offended. “I like to read.”

“Books in which you are the main character performing unreasonably heroic deeds? Course you do,” she said, then paused, realizing she’d just outed him as the White Knight to Ethan.

Ethan didn’t seem to have noticed or cared, still on Juliet’s literary endeavors and his exclusion from them. “I can’t see why you wouldn’t let me read it. It’s just a story right? Didn’t you let people in your class read it?”

“That was different,” she said, looking uncomfortable as she smiled at Rick as he put a beer in front of her. “They were strangers.”

“Oh come on!” Ethan said.

She looked at him, frowning. “I don’t see why you’re so curious!”

“Course he’s curious,” Magnum said, feeling quite intrigued himself. “What’s the story about?”

“The assignment was to write her life as if it had been a fairy tale,” Ethan said, while Higgy gave Magnum a look. 

_Right_ , he thought, quite understanding why she wouldn’t maybe want Ethan to read it. Only it couldn’t contain too many details about her spy life if she’d let perfect strangers read it for critiques. But it was quite possible Richard - as the love of her life - made an appearance, wasn't it? Possibly it even ended with her getting her happily ever after with him and never coming to Hawaii. That thought made him feel bad, sad, for her. Oddly enough for himself too. He also wanted to try to helper to get Ethan to drop the subject. 

“Well that sounds kind of boring - unless you wrote about the missing beer case,” he said, turning to Ethan, ready to provide a distraction from the topic via a long-winded case-retelling. “She tell you about that? It was pretty great. It all started when...” 

* * *

After, when he parked the Ferrari in the driveway of Robin’s Nest she uncharactisually said, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Distracting Ethan,” she got out of the car. 

“No problem,” he said, wanting to ask about the fairy tale himself. Wanting to see if he -who knew her better than anyone else in the world- might be permitted to read it. He debated with himself. Would she let him? He wanted to think she would. But if she said no? That might hurt more than he was ready for. So he went for something else. “How about you pay me back by showing me some pictures of your apartment?”

“You want to look at pictures of my old flat?” she sounded kind of baffled. Which maybe made sense. Home decor wasn’t normally one of his biggest interests…

“Course I do.” He began following her towards the main house. “I bet you have hundred-year-old portraits and a bunch of suits of armor. Maybe a ghost? And like a billiard room. And a-”

“It was not a castle, Thomas, it was a flat in central London,” she said, slightly smirking though. “No suits of armor.”


	2. Perfectly Surly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Higgy is being a bit more surly than usual...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like someone on the writing team enjoys the term "panda eye" a little too much. Seriously, I'm not even sure I've ever heard it used anywhere else more than like once in a whole book or show. We've had like at least three people call it/ reference "getting a panda eye" over the last few seasons. Is this just me being clueless and this is actually fairly common term? Or is it a Hawaiian thing? Or is my theory that someone on the writing team just loves making people say 'panda eye' correct? 
> 
> Anyways, I decided to use it because...because that seems to be the in-show lingo for black-eye!

## Perfectly Surly

“Higgy!” he said sharply having said her name softly twice without her seeming to hear him. “Give me the camera.”

She jerked and then quickly handed it over. He went to work, snapping shots of their client’s husband in the arms of a woman that was very much not their client.

Tracking down and getting evidence of cheating spouses was not a glamorous part of their jobs, but it was one of the most common jobs they got. And as of late, one he’d been doing a lot of alone while Higgy was out on her dates with Ethan. But tonight she was there with him… at least in body. Her thoughts seemed elsewhere.

“I think that’s the money shot right there,” he said, as the cheater picked up his mistress? flavor of the week? and carried her into the motel room, face buried in her generous cleavage.

“Men are such bastards,” she said with way more venom than normal.

“Hey!” he said, a little offended. He'd never cheated on anyone in his life and never planned to ever do so. “Let’s not tar everyone with one brush.”

“Whatever,” she said, sounding more like a 90s teenager than Juliet Higgins. “Just go.”

“Got a hot date?”

She gave him such a look. 

He couldn’t quite decide what it meant. It was just so angry. Betrayed too. There was hurt and sadness also, even though she was trying so hard not to show that.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She crossed her arms and looked out the window. “Perfectly fine.”

“Did something happen with you and Ethan?” he asked, careful, because currently, he wasn’t sure what else in their lives might have upset her so. He didn’t think he’d done something... if he had, she’d had told him about it. Yelled or teased or something.“You guys okay?”

“Yes.”

“Yes something happened or yes two are okay?”

“Neither? Both?” she said with a shrug. “Seeing as there is no longer an _Ethan and I,_ feel free to take your pick.”

“Wait, what? He broke up with you?”

She gave him another look, this one more exasperated than that weird angry-sad-hurt one. “ _I_ broke up with _him_.”

“Why? I thought he was Mr. Perfect?”

“No one is perfect,” she said sullenly.

“No one but you,” he said, walking a fine line of cheeky, sarcasm and...honesty? That last one was disturbing. But oddly enough -completely against his will- he’d begun to judge everyone against the impossible amazingness (and complexity) that was Juliet Higgins. Which was totally unfair against the rest of the world.

“What he do? You need me to beat him up for you?" he jokingly offered. Because if Ethan needed beating up, she was very capable of doing it herself. Still, he wanted to know just what Ethan had done. And if it had been something bad enough…well, maybe the guy deserved a panda eye. 

“No.”

“You sure?”

“I’m bloody sure. And if you could stop prattling and drive us home, that be great, some of us actually have things to,” she said, making him question his own sanity (and how odd his ‘perfect’ scale was) just a tad bit.

"Don't you worry," he told her as he put the Ferrari in drive. "I can talk and drive at the same time."

"Well, I'd rather you didn't." She swallowed, her expression strain and her eyes slightly shiny. "Please."

"Okay," he said, because as much as he wanted to pry, to be there for her, he didn't want to do something to make her cry, if that was something she was close to doing.


	3. Over Reactions?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan shows up.  
> Later, Magnum is proud of his self-restraint...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was not how I meant to write this chapter but it's how it ended up working out so, IDK, hope you're not too confused...
> 
> As for timeline-wise? I don't know if almost a year and another summer is supposed to have passed since the end of season 2? I think Juliet said was 'a few months' in 3.01 it had taken to sort out the visa situation. I'm thinking season 3 is supposed to be starting up during the summer of 2020 when covid-19 deaths were dropping down a bit maybe? It's not really super important, just thought I'd mention it because the characters might refer to the summer of 2019 as "last summer" (which honestly is what it feels like to me, 2020? was that an actual year? Naww, last summer was 2019!)

## Over Reactions?

_“I'm trying to help here okay?” Ethan said quickly, looking around.“I’m not the bad guy.”_

_“Yeah? That’s what you’re going with?”_

_“I told you, she totally set me up to-"_

_"You're going to blame her for this? Unbelievable!"_

_"She wanted me to do it! She knew I was curious, she kept bringing the story up and then I just so curious and she left her computer out! It was a total setup! She was looking an excuse to end things-_ "

_"She wasn't," he said angrily. "She really liked you. You broke her trust and you have to own up to that!"_

_"Please! She didn't trust me, heck she barley told me a thing about herself! You can't blame me for-_ "

_"You've known her for months! Of course, she's not going to open up to you-"_

" _Any normal woman would have, for god's sake, she might be hot and fun but she's not exactly-"_

Punching someone in the face is not a smart technical move in a fight. Anyone with any fighting experience will tell you. It’s actually more likely to break the small bones in your hand than do much damage to the other person. 

But punching Ethan wasn’t exactly a planned rational decision. And he wasn’t trying to really hurt Ethan. Well… not _that_ much. But he wasn't going to stand around and let Ethan make it Higgy's fault.

Also if he was being honest maybe he had wanted to punch Ethan for a while. For some unclear reason. 

“You hit me!?!” Ethan said, stumbling back, looking shocked.

“You deserved it,” Magnum pointed out.

“I'm trying to help!" Ethan shook his head, wiping blood off his split lip."I wanted to explain!"

"Bang-up job of it you're doing!"

"I was! You were the one who just..." Ethan glared at him for a moment then his expression softened. "I suppose I can't blame you."

"You probably could," Magnum said. The punch had kind of surprised Magnum too. He wasn't one to just randomly punch a guy. But Ethan had been sort of insulting Higgy. Or been about to... and well, Ethan had just always bothered him. He'd figured it was because he'd been taking up so much of Higgins' time. Taking her away from him. Taking away his friend, his partner. He'd tried to tell himself that was the only reason. Because anything else was just... just too terrifying. Too life-changing. "I shouldn't have hit you." 

"Whatever man, just read the story,” the doc said, nodding towards the stapled together sheets of printer paper he’d brought that he’d tossed on the ground next to Magnum's feet earlier.

"I'm not going to do that!" Magnum said as Ethan turned away and walked off towards his car in the dark. _No way._

Magnum picked the papers up while trying to shake the knot in his stomach thinking about just what he was feeling for Juliet always caused. To further distract himself he read the title page. It said ‘A Maze of Roses’ and in smaller print under ‘ _by Juliet Higgins_ ’ with a class and date and even the professors name at the bottom. It was just about the most proper front page he could have imagined, not that he'd expected anything less from her.

Two minutes earlier when Ethan had come up to him in La Marianna’s parking lot he hadn’t been quite sure what he was expecting. 

Maybe for the guy to try to explain what had gone down between him and Higgy. Try to have Magnum plead Ethan’s case to Juliet; try to make her give him another chance.

( _Like that would ever have happened.)_

Magnum had been prepared to listen because even though he wasn’t ever going to be on Ethan’s side, he was extremely curious about the reason for the breakup. And Juliet was being frustratingly quiet about it.

Ethan had explained the breakup part though. _Sort of._ But he hadn’t been there to convince Magnum to try to talk Higgy into giving him another chance or anything other than _to get him to read the god damned fairy tale story of hers._

The story Ethan had stolen off her hard drive.

How Ethan had managed that had been confusing to Magnum for a few seconds before he realized that was why Juliet was so hurt. She’d trusted him enough that she had left her computer out, logged in and open, for him snoop on. That had to have been it.

Or she had actually been testing him, like Ethan claimed, to see if he could be trusted. If that had been the case... well he couldn't really blame her. And either way, Ethan had betrayed her. And maybe for a normal, non-spy person, their boyfriend looking through their unlocked computer wouldn’t have been a big deal. But for Higgy? Big deal.

He wondered just how major a part the fairy tale story played into it. If it was about what she’d actually written or if just the fact that Ethan had gone through her computer - actually taken something off it - that was the problem. If she had really been baiting Ethan to get him to take it, read it, it couldn't be that revealing or important to her?

Yet Ethan clearly seemed to think the ‘fairy tale’ was important, had something to do with her anger. _A Maze of Roses._ That was even more dramatic than most of Robin Master's book titles... 

Still, as curious as he was, Magnum **wasn’t** flipping the page. No way. She’d be beyond pissed if he did that.

But maybe he could just read a little bit. The first paragraph or two...

Then again...she’d broken up with Ethan partly because he’d read it...was it really worth the risk?

_Whatever man; just read the story._

What did that mean? His fingered itched (and his right knuckle hurt from where he’d punched Ethan) while his mind spun. Whatever this story was, it couldn’t be _that_ big of a deal.

Could it?

 _No_ , he decided, folding the pages up and sticking them his back pocket. How could something she’d written last summer, before they were even partners, really matter? Even if it wouldn't be a total breach of her privacy he didn't need to read it. Because unlike Ethan, he knew her. Maybe not every detail, but the important things.

Who she truly was inside; brave, smart, and fearless. Slow to trust and open up. But loyal and thoughtful when one least expected it once that trust was won. A little rough around the edges sure, but like most precious things, once you caught a glimpse of their true form, superbly beautiful.

 _Yeah._ that was it, he decided. As much as he _wanted_ to read the story, he knew the real her and thus didn't _need_ to read a fairy tale version of her life. Quite grown up of him really, he had to admit, smiling and feeling proud of his self-restraint as he got into the Ferrari.


	4. Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnum comes home to find Higgy isn't at the main house...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a collection "My Favorite Magnum PI One-shots (Miggy) (FaveMagnumPIOneshots)" to try to gather some of my favorite Miggy one/two shots into one place. I'm not really sure how it works, but I think everyone can add to it? I've just started so I'd love to have some of you add your faves in there for me to read to (if you can? I feel very confused by the whole collection thing...)

**Relief**

Since the sheets of paper in his pocket felt like they were burning a hole there, he decided to return them to Juliet as soon as possible. Because of that once he’d parked the Ferrari, he headed for the main house rather than the guest house.

Only to find she wasn’t there. Which seemed kind of odd. 

“Higgy?” he called, his heart rate picking up, images of the white SUV and whoever was following it having come to Robin’s Nest and… what? Taken her?

“Juliet?” 

No response. He was about to reach for his phone to call her, then if he couldn’t reach her the guys and Gordon.

Then by chance when looking out the west windows, he noticed the lights in the guest house were on.

That seemed strange. Especially seeing as they had definitely not been when he left to go to return the defect mini parabolic mike they’d been sent and then headed to La Mariana.

He tried her phone, got sent to voicemail. 

There were no signs of anything, a struggle or anything, in the main house. He checked the kennels and found Zeus and Apollo resting peacefully… well, until he showed up.

Still, he got his gun from the car before heading down to the guest house.

“Higgy?” he asked, opening the door. With the new security measures in place, he doubted anyone could have gotten on the property. 

Better safe than sorry though. That was his new motto.

There was music on. Classical, dramatic music. Fairly loud. 

“Juliet?” he called, then saw her, and felt so relieved he wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Had he really thought she’d been kidnapped? In danger? He must have because he felt like suddenly everything in the world was alright just because she was there. Safe. Fine. Well… kind of.

“Hi!” she said cheerfully, jumping off the kitchen island where she’d been sitting. “Why you got your gun out? You gonna shoot me? _Bam-bam_!”

He shook his head with relief and maybe a little annoyance and quickly went to put it in the drawer in the hallway that locked and put it in there. Just to be safe, he locked it. On the way back he grabbed the TV remote and lowered the sound of the youtube music clip of some Royal Ocestray playing Motszart on the big screen.

Then he went back to the main room and walked over to her, taking her in with a frown.

She was in what he had to figure was her pajamas, a pair of silky green shorts and a black ribbed tank top. She was also holding a bottle of whiskey.

A mostly empty bottle.

That did not bode well.


	5. Nuthing!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A drunk Higgy is a cuddly Higgy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So little bit of me trying to channel 3.01 drugged Higgy here. Also just being a little random! I don't actually think Juliet would ever let herself get drunk...though she is kind of upset with Ethan (well mostly what he told her...) and this is fan fiction so we're going with it!

## Nuthing!

_She was in what he had to figure was her pyjamas, a pair of silky green shorts and a black ribbed tank top. She was also holding a bottle of whiskey._

_A mostly empty bottle._

_That did not bode well._

“I’ve decided it’s all your fault,” she said, then hiccuped, pointing to him with the bottle.

He had a feeling what this was all about but decided to play dumb, as he “My fault? I don’t think so. I clearly didn’t drink a whole bottle of whiskey.”

She looked momentarily confused. “It wasn’t full when I started.”

“Alright,” he said, reaching for the bottle. “Either way I think you’ve had enough.”

“No,” she said, hugging the bottle to her chest. “It’s mine.”

“Actually I think that’s Robin’s three-hundred-dollar a bottle whiskey,” he pointed out, thinking maybe that might make her consider giving it up.

She only narrowed her eyes at him, then defiantly took another swing. While trying hard to, she seeming to have a bit of a hard time focusing on him at first.

It was kind of funny. But he wondered just how drunk she was, which meant his amusement was suddenly tinged with worry. Both to the why - even though he figured the why was Ethan or something to do with the break up, even if it had been a few days - and because he'd never seen her drunk before. Tipsy, sure. But not like this. He wondered just how much whiskey it had taken. And if she had eaten something before- or at all today? She'd been picking at some fruit when he last saw her. Even though he'd never actually tell her, he was aware she was smaller than him. Not weaker, never weaker, but still, there was less of her. And _not full_ didn't mean there hadn't been quite a bit in the bottle to start. 

“Your shirt! You're wearing the shirt I got you” she said excitedly coming closer and clearly find that amusing because she giggled and then reached out to poke his right pec muscle. “I got it for you! I like it when you wear it!”

“Higgy!” he said, stepping back to not get poked again. That made her sigh and roll her eyes at him. “What’s going on?”

“Did I tell you I broke up with Ethan?” she asked, abandoning him and marching over to the sofa. 

“I think you mentioned it,” he said, following as he sliding his hand into his back pocket. “In fact he came to see me. Gave me this.”

He held the story out for her.

“What is it?” As she reached for the papers he took his chance and extracted the whiskey bottle at the same time. She let him.

“It’s your story, your fairy tale,” he reminded her, hoping that wouldn’t make whatever was going on with this post break up drunkenness worse. "The one he stole."

She nodded. "Right bastard. Can't trust 'em!"

Then narrowed her eyes, looking up at him.

“Did _you_ read it?”

“No!” He made a face. “I figured if you broke up with Ethan for reading it you’d skin me alive.”

She smiled some more, nodding. “You got nice skin.”

He wasn’t sure that was confirmation she’d have skinned him alive or a compliment on his complexion.

Her face fell and she sat down heavily on the sofa. “Ethan read it.”

“Yeah.”

“And he gave it to you to read?”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But I didn’t.”

“What a tosser.”

“Absolutely,” he agreed, sitting down next to her and tugging the pages from her hands. She let let go somewhat reluctantly.

“You really didn’t read it?” she asked, tilting her head, studying him. 

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know.” She sighed and leaned on his shoulder. “You’re too good of a person. A real White Night. Better than him even.”

“I guess I have my moments,” he said trying not to show how much he enjoyed her saying nice things about him. How much it mattered when she saw who he was, who he wanted to be. Sometimes he worried she didn't. In fact, it bothered him an unreasonable amount. So he'd take this drunk praise.

She toyed with his shirt sleeve for a bit and he contemplated what to do next. Her slim fingers brushing against his bicep were somewhat distracting him from that. The hint of orange blossom perfume, or maybe lotion she wore didn't help either. He’d have to get her an aspirin and water, put her in the second bedroom. He didn’t think taking her to the main house was the smartest idea. Here could take care of her and would notice if she woke up still drunk and tried to go on an "adventure".

“I might have forgiven you,” she whispered after a long moment. “Yeah… I might have. Not Ethan. Never.”

“That sounds smart. I am your partner after all.”

“I’m very smart.” She rubbed her face against his upper arm, like a cat, and tugged her legs up. He took a chance and put an arm around her. That made her snuggle closer to him while she muttered, “He was a right tosser." Then..."You're warm; it's nice.”

Who'd have thought a drunk Higgy was a cuddly Higgy? He sure wouldn't have. He didn't mind one bit though. He also couldn't wait to tease her about it in the morning. Maybe. Lately he'd been wanting to just keep her secrets, her quirks, all the small discoveries he made about her, to himself. The pieces of her personality, who she was, the things only he knew were somehow one of his most favorite things to think about. 

"I'm sorry he hurt you," he told her. He knew what it felt like, both with Hannah and even Abby. 

"He didn't." But Magnum suspect he had. Ethan had been what Abby had been for him. A first real attempt at something after a relationship that hurt so bad when it end that just the idea of another love was terrifying. It had been her hoping for something and being let down. "And it's okay that he did."

"I didn't love him." She was still leaning her head on his arm, her body close to his. She sounded less drunk. But she still was of course. "I loved the idea of him though."

"He was your perfect doctor boyfriend," Magnum said, letting his thumb trace a little circle on her arm. 

“That's what he said!! And then he said-he said- Bloody wanker,” she suddenly sat straight up, as if just thinking about it was making her want to jump up and hold a TED talk about it. 

“Right? What kind of unethical doctor steals things from his girlfriend's computer?” He also wanted to mention dates his patient at all and suggest ice skating during a hurricane(!) but was intrigued by what Ethan might have said to deserve yet another expletive - was wanker worse than tosser? - so decided to ask about that instead. “What he say?”

“Nothing,” she said, drawing the word out and pulling back a little, looking at him like he was trying to make her confess to murder not something her ex had said. To make it even more suspicious she repeated, “Nuthing!”

“Okay,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender, grinning at her. “He said _nuthing_!”


	6. Tell Me A Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan summons hurricanes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I’m excited to see what 3.08 is all about due to the promo, the summary for 3.09 has me wishing it was next Saturday. It legit does feel kind of like they just went and looked through all the most common fanfic tropes and went "ahhaha Higgy getting kidnapped - how dramatic - that's what well do!"
> 
> Also, I'm not sure what happened in this chapter, I feel like the tone totally changed? IDK, probably because I took a break and wrote another (almost done with it!!) slightly darker fic in between?

## Tell Me A Tale

“Want me to stay and tell you a story?” he asked jokingly as she finally sat down on the guest bedroom’s bed. It had been a bit of a struggle getting her to abandon her desire to first go swimming then to order noodles and hack into Ethan’s computer to erase everything on it. He had rather liked the last one but figured she'd feel less good about it in the morning.“Maybe one about a princess that got into the wine cellar? Or whiskey cellar?”

“Are you making fun of me Thomas?” she asked, voice half sleepy and half suspicious. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, “Let me get you some water.”

He went into the bathroom and found her a plastic cup which he filled and took back. She’d gotten under the sheets and he almost thought she was asleep when he set the cup down on the besdie table.

“Yes,” she said in almost a whisper.

“Yes what?” he asked squatting down next to the low bed so they were at eye level.

“Stay.” She closed her eyes. “Just for a bit.”

“Okay,” he said, sitting down, leaning against the bed. He felt her hand come forward and she tugged at his ear gently as if to make sure he really was there. 

“Did your mother sit with you and tell you stories when you were little? Your father?” she asked after a few moments.

“Sure,” he told her, turning around while smiling at the memory. “When she had time my mom would read me books. My dad on the other hand liked to make up great adventure stories with monsters and heroes and great sea battles.”

“Truly?” she said, contemplating for a moment. “That’s nice. Will you tell me a story? No one ever told me stories when I was little.”

That statement told him more about her childhood than he thought she meant for him to know. He also hoped it wasn’t true, that surely someone had told her stories and read her books? Yet why would she lie. But with who she was, it actually made some sense iif t was true.

For a moment he saw a toddler Higgy, alone in a room, looking out a rainy window sadly. No one playing or reading or taking care of her. It made him sad but gave him an idea for a story, a fairy tale he could tweak. Only he’d have to find a good way to add himself to it too. 

“Okay,” he said, even though it was beyond silly. “There was once a brave knight-”

“A white knight?” she suggested.

“No wonder no one ever told you any stories, I’ve barely started and you’re already interrupting.” He smiled and so did she, then she yawned and he did too. 

“Go on then.”

He did and went on to tell a modified version of Rapunzel, drawing inspiration from their PI adventures, Shrek and just making sure to make Princess Juliet very annoying but also kickass and the White Knight was the best hero of all time. Ethan might have been cast as the evil doctor who summoned hurricanes...

By the time he got to the end of the adventure, he was somehow glad her breathing had evened out and he could be sure she was asleep, just so he could finish it with, “And then the white knight and the princess got married and lived happily ever after.”

If only real life was as easy as a fairy tale. 

Not that he wanted to marry Higgy and live happily ever after with her. 

Well… sometimes, maybe he did. 

Just a part of him.

At the start, it had been easy to stomp down any desire to...all kinds of desires actually, to do with her. Because she’d not been the nicest to him, would always take one step back when he tried to take one forward. She was British and prim and never gave him an inch.

So as fascinating, smart and competent he’d found her -beautiful too - he kept telling himself _no way_. And it was easy because she was saying the same thing without having to say a single word.

Still, there had always been this undercurrent. When he looked at her even from the start all he had been able to think about were... things one was definitely not supposed to think about one’s neighbor, friend, business partner.

Now he wasn’t sure if he should keep telling himself No Way. Because he didn’t feel like that when thinking about a possible future _with_ her anymore.

Instead, he felt an odd sort of mix of terrified-ness and sure-ness and hopeful-ness. (If those were real words? Higgy could have told him.)

Because they worked so well together, complemented each other’s personalities in a way that shouldn’t work but did, and because she _got him_ and he, her. He knew her quirks and she knew his. They talked, all the time. Even if part of it was trading insults or criticism, it was also just her telling him they’d figure things out with the white SUV. Him suggesting she give Ethan a chance (which in retrospect had been a bit stupid…) or them just exchanging ideas about a case. Small and big, they talked about it.

He imagined that would carry over rather nicely to something else. To something more. It would keep being frustrating and hard at times - because all relationships were. But it would be great too. And he doubted anyone would ever know or understand him as well as she did.

Besides that, he just… he just never wanted her to not be around. And he loved her. There was that too.

Question was… what did she want?


	7. Reading Into Things...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Just don’t read into things, okay. Fairy tales end with happily ever afters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just realized in 3.08 we got to see both Magnum’s and Juliet’s bedroom in the same episode.  
> Is it just me but are we establishing some sets to use for some later scenes when bedrooms will be important for our duo...? #wishfulthinking  
> (Also no wonder Thomas was having trouble sleeping. Those are some big ass windows in his room...he needs to get some dark curtains! Okay, someone needs to write a fic about Higgy and Magnum shopping for curtains...)

## Reading Into Things...

He was having a dream where he, a Higgy with absurdly long hair and a scrubs-wearing Ethan were stranded on a sailboat without sails and the sky was totally red. 

Since they were dying and maybe the world had ended (it was unclear in that way dreams often were) they’d decided to take a vote on which one of them to kill and eat and they’d unanimously voted for Ethan to be eaten. Yes. Even Ethan himself.

Ethan had been sulking while he and Juliet had just been searching for jars in which to pickle him once he was dead, when a soft knock on his door woke him.

The knock meant he didn’t have to dwell on what that dream might mean. It wasn’t exactly the most normal of dreams was it? At least it wasn’t about the white SUV.

Since there was only one possible person he felt it could be at his door he got up with more enthusiasm than he normally could muster these days. Only to realize even though his dream had been weird, he had gotten quite a few hours of sleep. And he had woken up because of the knocking, not the dream. That was an improvement! 

“Hey,” he said as he opened the door making sure to keep his voice low. “I’d say good morning but I’m not sure that would be correct for you.”

“I’m fine,” she said.

But she didn’t look fine. There was a slightly gray cast to her skin and her hair was… not at it’s best. Still, she didn’t look half as terrible as she should considering just how drunk she’d been last night.

“I just wanted to...” She bit the inside of her lip. “I don’t remember all of last night, but I do remember being quite... bothersome and I wanted to thank you. For looking out for me.”

“Any time,” he said, because frankly, he wanted to be the one looking out for her those few times she did need it. 

“I, um.” She held out the familiar pages of her fairy tale story. Still folded up from being in his back pocket last night. “I thought if you wanted to..."

"I can read it?"

"Yes," she said simply, but there was something in her eyes that contradicted her next sentence. "I don’t know why Ethan made such a big deal of it.”

“You sure?”

"I don't want Ethan to have read it and not you." She took a deep breath. "It's not a big deal. Only if you want to-"

"I want to."

"Good." She hesitated the tiniest bit as he reached for it, holding his eyes for a moment too long. “Just don’t read into things, okay. Fairy tales end with happily ever afters.”

“Too bad real life can’t be as easy, huh?” he said, even as he wondered why not. Why couldn’t happily ever after be real? 

Probably Higgy would scoff and roll her eyes at him for just thinking that. But he’d gone to bed reflecting on all the possibilities. Of the possibility of _them_. And the more he thought about it, the more he rather thought they had to see what it might lead to.

And now this. Feeling his heart rate suddenly increases as he held the wrinkled pages in his hand. She was letting him read her story? That was, even if she had just said it wasn't, a big deal. 

“I don’t think either one of us would know what to do with easy.” She sounded almost sad admitting that. “I’ll be at the main house.”

“Enjoy your hangover,” he said teasingly as she began to leave. “I’ll come make you some of my famous chocolate pancakes later.”

She made a sound that made him think food was the last thing she wanted. Which did make sense. Still, his pancakes cured everything, even a hangover from hell.

Once she was gone, he turned back around and for a second he just watched the sunrise - half up by then - feeling the papers in his hand. He told himself it wasn't important. Whatever she'd written, she'd written a year ago. That he knew her well enough there were no surprises. Except did he? There were so many small things he kind of wished he knew, like why did she hate tea? Why MI6? Her family. Plus there was a certain fascinating aspect of this story because it was Juliet writing about herself. She'd gotten to pick just how her fairy tale went. Would Richard be the handsome prince? Did it end with a different ending, one where she and he took down Viper? But then why would she tell him not to read into things? He had to be in it. That made his stomach tighten.

Not able to wait any longer, he, with equal amounts of worry, excitement, and uncertainty he flipped the font page and begun to read:

Once _upon a time there was a marvelous happy couple. They were charming, beautiful and loved to travel and go to fabulous parties._

So Richard was going to be heavily featured then? Magnum wasn't sure how to feel about that. 

_Few things bothered them, which was good as they very much hated to be bothered by anything. Those few times when something did trouble them, they made sure to find some way to make the problem go away and never spoke of it again._

He frowned. This not Richard and Juliet. It couldn't be.

_It was all rather charmed._

_A stormy winter night, quite some years after the happy couple was married, they were blessed with a child; a baby girl._

_They named her Juliet._

_She’d come along without them wanting or planning for her, much like a surprise gift. One you smiled and thanked the giver for -because that was what expected- and as soon as you got home you found some deep dark cupboard to stow it away in, to never look at it again..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juliet Higgins... the poster child for happy childhoods in all my stories #Ijustcan'tstopmyselffromgivinghertragicbackstories


	8. Slayer of Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing the whole fairy tale out here just… well it became too long winded and I couldn’t quite get the tone of it right. I’m still tweaking it and might post it at the end if you’re interested!?!
> 
> Side note: OMG what happened to February!

* * *

**Slayer of Monsters**

* * *

He had made her American pancakes once before. 

The day after Lina and Sam had held her and Kumu hostage. After she’d agreed to be his partner. 

_ (Are you saying I complete you? _

_ Professionally? Yes!  _ )

He’d whipped them up in his little kitchen in the guest house and they had them for lunch. She’d only had the one, claiming they were basically desert. He wondered if she remembered. 

“So I’m your White Knight, huh?” he said as he put a chocolate pancake with a quite fancily sliced strawberry on top, in front of her. “Killed the monster for you.”

“Of course that’s the part you remember.” She didn’t look at him but instead the pancake. “So these are your supposedly curative pancakes? I hardly see how-”

“You want to talk about pancakes?” he said, both amused and a little annoyed at her attempt to change the topic. “Come on Higgy, you let me read your story… don’t you want to talk about it?”

“If I wanted to, I’d point out you  _ helped  _ me slay the monster. And I just called you White Knight because of Robin’s books.”

He wondered if that was true. Probably it was. Juliet saw him as a lot of things, but most likely not a white knight. Part of him wished she did though. 

Then again she had let him almost be as much the hero as herself when it came to killing the strange creature in her story. 

“How did you come up with the Maeror, anyway? That’s not a monster I ever heard of.”

The Maeror, the creature in her fairy tale, ate souls and Juliet was the only person who could see it. Story-Juliet saw it all the time, even as a child but always just following and watching. Then the handsome prince whom the Maeror was scared of - had to be Richard - died and the Maeror was suddenly not happy just watching.

It made fairy tale Juliet run far away, to a beautiful place, where she thought she’d be safe and happy. But she wasn’t. 

Not until she met a White Knight and he could see the monster too. Together they’d killed it by completing three different tasks. He figured the three were in there because of the fairy tale connection with the number.

She ran her fork along the pancake, then ate one tiny slice of strawberry. Looked at him for a long moment. 

“ _ Maeror  _ means grief and sorrow in latin.” 

The monster in her story had been sadness and grief?

That made a certain amount of sense. Yet also served to make the story even sadder. Her life too, if she really had felt followed by those emotions her whole life.

It also made the fact that she credited him for helping slay the Maeror very important. Because Richard had only scared it away for her. But he, Thomas, had helped her actually kill the monster? That was pretty important. 

The fact that she’d written it the summer before she even said yes to being his partner made it feel extra so. 

“It’s just a story,” she said, clearly reading the emotions on his face. “I told you not to read too much into it.”

Yet, he wanted to. Wanted to think he was  _ that  _ important to her. That he’d changed her life, improved it. Even when she often complained about working pro-bono cases, his methods or just him not owning a computer...she was actually happy. Annoyed but still happy.

”I’m still glad I helped you slay the monster,” he settled for saying.

“It made sense for a more traditional fairy tale to have a knight in shining armor save the day.” She paused. “Even if you did help. In real life. Showing me I could belong, be part of something again. Move on. Be happy.”

He smiled as she ate a tiny pancake piece. He couldn’t help but to stare at her mouth as she did, her tongue flicking out at an escaping drop of maple syrup. He'd made her happy. And more importantly, she'd admitted he had. Did. 

“These  _ are  _ good,” she said, a little reluctantly. 

“Told you,” he put two more pancakes on a plate for himself and then sat down next to her. “And just wait, they’ll magically cure your hangover too.”

“I’m not hungover.” 

He argued that she was, she argued he knew nothing, which made him tease her about magical tv shows she’d never seen. It was rather just the way things always were.

Yet not. 

They were in the big house kitchen. He’d cooked for her there. It was breakfast, even if it was long past ten, not lunch or any other meal. Plus, because either the drunkenness of last night or the story she’d shared with him, there was an openness in her eyes as she smiled and talked. Or was that just wishful thinking on his part because of his little realization?

“This was nice,” she said, “And maybe eating did help a little.”

“You should have another one,” he said, resisting the urge to teasingly point out she supposedly wasn’t hung over.

“I’m quite full enough.” She pushed her plate away. “And they’re basically dessert and hardly a proper breakfast food.”

That was just what she’d said the first time!

“You remember huh?” 

“Of course,” she said.

That made him unreasonably pleased. 

Because that day had been important to him. Her agreeing to be his partner. Spending time with her after knowing she’d been in danger and hurt. After he’d been taken and worried he might not see her again.

“It was a good day.” She stood and went to the dishwasher to put her plate in. “And you were right.”

“About what?” 

“You know,” she said softly, trailing her hand across the kitchen island as she walked past him. “We really do complete each other nicely, don’t we? Professionally, I mean.” 

He hesitated for a second, turning to keep her in view. “Maybe we just...complete each other.”

“Maybe,” she agreed after what felt like forever, holding his eyes for a moment before turning and walking out of the kitchen.

“Oh come on,” he said, abandoning his pancakes. Was she really just walking away? “Juliet, wait!”


	9. You Don't Understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Always reading the same book...not always the same page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happened to all the chicks coming and going in the first few episodes of season 1 anyways? (Magnum clearly got wise and realized even back then there was only one lady needed in his life…)

* * *

**You Don't Understand**

* * *

_“Juliet, wait!”_

She did, slowing down but not turning as he caught up with her in the hallway.

“What?” she sighed, glancing back at him.

He wasn’t really sure. 

Pushing her sure wasn’t the solution. He understood that even better now, from reading her fairy tale. Understood why she was so...aloof. 

How, impossible as it seemed to him that someone would not find her fascinating and amazing, her family hadn’t. She’d felt all alone for so long, he imagined she was still not quite used to feeling part of something. Asking for even more might just make her shut down. Still...

“I…” _I love you and I want you and you’re my best friend but how do I tell you without possibly ruining it all and making you run away from what you might be feeling._ “...I...I”

“Yes?” She sounded almost stern, but her eyes were soft and she stayed when he stopped just a little too close to her. 

“Just… ” He cupped her face. Ran his thumb across her impossibly soft cheek. She leaned into it.

Which was more than enough encouragement, especially with her agreement of them _completing_ each other, still so fresh.

Still, he leaned down slowly, waiting and making sure she met him halfway. She did and gently brushed her lips over his. His hand went into her hair as he pressed closer to her.

She let him, and for the longest of moment, they just melded together. He wondered how he could feel so lost yet connected at once with just a kiss.

“Stop,” she said, suddenly pulling away and stepping back. The loss of her closeness and warmth, felt almost like a physical blow. “We’re not doing this-”

“Seemed like we were,” he said, but moved away from her. Because she had to come to him. He’d made the first move. She’d stopped him. Now it was her turn. He also figured the desire to pull her to him, kiss her again, run his hands along her body, would lessen with some distance.

Several long seconds passed.

“You know for the longest time you seemed to me to be the most frustrating man alive,” she said, a little to his surprise, closing the gap he’d just created between them again. “You got under my skin like no one ever has before. And even as I expected you to dislike me, it seemed like, perhaps, you wanted to be my friend. No matter how terrible I was to you.”

“You weren’t terrible.”

“I rather was,” she said, her voice changing a little. “Though you must admit you yourself were prone to some rather appalling behaviors back then. Honestly the number of stolen wine bottles were only outnumbered by the women on this island who you gave the gate codes to...”

He smiled, thankful they could slip so easily back into their normal banter. The memory of her lips on his were still somewhat distracting though… “There weren’t that many!”

“There were,” she said with a little huff. “That’s beside the point-”

“Then why did you bring it up?” he asked, wondering if she was worried he’d go back to that. Not that he’d been some crazy womanizer. He’d just been rather lonely (and still depressed about Hannah). Hawaii was so full of beautiful women, often on vacation, looking for a few fun nights and little more.

That had been what he’d thought wanted three years ago. It wasn’t what he wanted now.

“To illustrate the fact that I’ve had a very positive influence on your life,” she said.

By making him fall in love with her without him even realizing? The positiveness of that, he thought, was rather up for debate, depending on her feelings.

“But it’s not really what I wanted to say… You invited me to be part of your family, caring about me when you didn’t have to.” She came closer and put a hand over his heart. “It was important to me. It changed my life, me, more than you could ever understand.” 

“I understand-”

“No.” She stopped him. “You don’t.” Hesitating for a moment, then she added, “But that’s okay. What I hope you will try to understand is that I can’t put it in jeopardy.”

She thought he’d screw up somehow, ruin both their relationship and their friendship. But he wouldn’t. He would try so hard and as long as she did too, this could be the best thing that ever happened to them.

Even if he wasn’t as fancy or smart as her, he challenged her and he had to believe that was just as important. That she wouldn’t be bored or unhappy with him. 

“Bullshit!” he said. “Why does fairy tale Juliet marry the White Knight at the end if-”

“I told you not to read into that-”

“You’re scared and I get that but you know this thing we have,” he pointed between them. “It’s _special_. You just admitted we complete each other!" 

"It doesn't matter-"

"It does." And it infuriated him that she would say it didn't. "Seriously, Juliet. We challenge and support and understand each other! But it's more than that, and I know you feel it too. More than the trust and happiness and love we share. It's something you can't put a name on - even if you weren't terrified to try. How can that not matter? Honestly, how many people in your life have you met that you felt this way about?"

“None!” she almost shouted back. Then her face went carefully blank.

Because for her the answer should probably have been **one** ; Richard.

“Juliet...” He tried to remind himself about the pushing leading to disasters. About how the ball was meant to be in her court. But at the same time he couldn’t just let it go. 

“I’m sorry.” She pulled away from him. “But life isn’t a fairy tale Thomas.”

“Especially not when you won’t even try,” he said. 

“That’s not fair.”

He knew it wasn’t. But she’d just admitted she felt more connected, more challenged, more _everything_ by him than Richard. That he was the first and only person she’d had this connection with. 

Thinking about it, maybe she was the first for him too. No. Not maybe.

Why did that make it hurt more?

“I don’t want to lose you,” she finally said.

“But don’t you see?” he said, giving her a sad smile. “In a way, you just did.”

“Don’t say that,” she said sharply. “We can be friends, partners. But anything more would hurt too much.”

“Only what if it all works out? What if we didn’t mess up? I know you think I don’t take things seriously, but I would,” he said, and it was a promise he realized. “I would with this. I swear.”

She looked so stunned, he wondered if she really hadn’t known that. Didn’t see just how important she was to him. Then she smiled. 

“What?”

“It’s just rather amusing,” she said. He wasn’t sure he quite agreed; how was him telling her he’d take their relationship seriously funny? “You just pointed out how in sync we are. How well we understand each other. Then not a minute later you’re misunderstanding me.”

“How is that funny?” he wondered, unsure what he’d missed.

“I’m not scared you’ll break my heart Thomas,” she said, still with the amused look. “I’m terrified you’ll die.”

“Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAE is a little more elusive than Magnum had hoped, mostly because I feel like Higgy got some ways to go before she can open up and move on. But they're getting there...  
> 


	10. All I Want to Share With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I'll let it go - if you answer one question.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally this was going to be more angst and then yet a few more chapters before happily ever after. But honestly, I just wanted to write some happy-feels and Miggy figuring things out and being together this week and that's the reason it's so very short! But short and sweet is pretty nice sometimes!

* * *

**All I Want to Share With You**

* * *

_ “I’m not scared you’ll break my heart Thomas,” she said, still with the amused look. “I’m terrified you’ll die.” _

_ “Oh.” _

“So you see, that’s why we can’t do this. Why I can’t do this.” The smile faded. “I survived it once. I don’t know I can do it again. Can you understand that?”

“Yes,” he said.

“So you’ll drop it?”

“You mean settle? For what we have now?” he asked and realized as long as she was in his life he probably would. That was what was most important. It would hurt, but as long as she was still part of his day, his life, maybe he could do that.

“Settle,” she said it like it was a bad word. “Yes, I suppose if that’s what you want to call it.”

He realized he’d offended her. He hadn’t meant to. But he’d just kissed her, held her, and had her cling to him almost as desperately. Turning his back on that seemed like settling.

More importantly, he wanted everything that came with being with her, everything that would mean. The ability to truly plan his future with her. Make it  _ their  _ future. Tell her he loved her. Tell her when he missed her. Make her unhealthy breakfasts in bed she’d argue would clog their arteries. Visit England with her. Shout to the whole world she was his and he hers. Lay in bed and watch her sleep. Be the person she came to with her problems, even her most personal ones.

Small and big things he hadn’t even realized he was desperate to do and share with her.

“I will,” he said because he would. But he hoped he wouldn’t have to. Because there was one crucial thing he thought she’d failed to take into account. “If you answer one question.”

She narrowed her eyes but nodded, “Go on then.”

“Would it truly hurt less?” He ran his fingertips along her bare arms up to her shoulders, then back down and took her hands. “Because I’m not sure it would. In fact, I rather think all the moments we never even got a chance to have, would haunt me even more.”

She looked down at their clasped hands, while he held his breath, waiting. “You really are the most hopeless romantic aren’t you?”

“I try.”

“But you’re wrong,” she said. “Possibilities might haunt you. But when you think it’s all within reach and you lose it, that... that breaks you.” 

Despite her gloomy words, she was still there. Hands intertwined with his. So close he could breathe her in, feel the warmth of her.

He let her think for a moment more. “That statement is wrong. You lost Richard and you didn’t break.”

“I did.”

“You didn’t. Which means you can do this,” he said, quiet but encouragingly. “You can risk it.”

“It’s not that easy,” she insisted. "What we have it's different. I survived Richard."

"And if the worst was to happen, you'd survive me-"

"No," she said, swallowing hard. "I don't think I would."

"Yes. You would." She was strong, even if she mistook having to be strong for having not to feel sometimes, that didn't take away from the fact. "You're Juliet Higgins."

She shook her head. "You say that like it means something."

"It does." He made himself smile even though he still felt like his future was hanging on by a thread. Either about to fall off a cliff or be saved. "Besides. I'm not going to die."

"You regularly get shot at! That's not something you can promise," she insisted, letting go of him, walking away again.

"Hey!" He followed. "Out of the two of us, who has gotten shot the most in the time we've known each other? If anyone should be scared here, it should be me!"

"Why aren't you!" She faced him again, a little color on her cheeks. "You're acting like this is just... another fun thing you're considering doing."

"Trust me," he said, not sure how he could help her understand he’d never had a more serious conversation. "And I'm terrified too. More than you probably. Because I'm already in love with you. But I'm not going to let being scared stop me from  following through on this. This amazing thing we could have!"

"Don't say that." She looked away.

"Don't tell you I love you?" he said, deciding he'd already messed this up enough he might as well lay it all out there. 

"You shouldn't," she whispered.

"Probably not," he agreed. "My life would be a lot easier if I didn't."

"What fun is easy though?" she said, echoing what she'd told him this morning.

“None at all.” _ Come on Juliet! Just trust it will work out.  _ “But we can figure it out. Together.”

She shook her head as she smiled unsurely. But a smile was still a smile. It gave him hope. “We’d drive each other crazy.”

“We won’t.” Her expression told him clearly she didn’t buy that for a second. “It will be the good kind of crazy.”

“It won’t be a fairy tale,” she whispered as she looked up at him.

“Fairy tales are overrated,” he lied, before kissing her, already thinking about how they were going to live happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An epilogue that might give you diabetes is coming soon...  
> 


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m switching POV to Juliet for a minute here. I don’t know why but it’s just what my muse said needed to be done and so we went with it!

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

“ _And together they drove the sword into the monster’s heart,_ ” he said, dramatically making a stabbing motion towards a faux monster. “ _And the beast was vanquished, never to be seen again._ ”

“ _Vanquished_ means killed!?!” Lily asked Juliet quietly, even though she tried to make it sound like a statement.

“Yes, darling,” she whispered back. All the while Thomas had thrown himself fully into defeating the monster, rolling over a lego piece that made him wince before he got back to the edge of bed.

Stroking Lily’s soft brown hair, she sighed at the silliness of the performance, while simultaneously it made her heart hurt with happiness. 

“The monster was gone and-”

“Then what?” Lily cried, interrupting, even though she knew the next part. This was a frequently told story after all, even if there was occasionally additions. Such as in this version Juliet was apparently a princess...

“Then the White Knight and the Princess got married and had a beautiful little girl and they all lived happily ever after,” Thomas finished, “And no more monsters bothered them.”

Lily giggled. “None?”

“Well, maybe one or two,” he said, reaching for both Juliet’s and Lily’s hands. “But they fought all of those too and won. Together.”

Together. There were few things better than that word.

“And now it’s time for bed,” she said, because she thought if she kept looking at her two favorite people in the world being this happy, she might cry.

“One more!” Lily demanded, looking to Juliet. “Mummy, mummy, will you read the Lady Detective book.”

“No tonight love,” Juliet said as she started to get off her bed. “Daddy already told you a rather wonderful tale, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” she reluctantly agreed.

“Then you shall be most occupied thinking of it as you fall asleep,” she said, simply. Like it simply must be so. “It would do Lady Detective a disservice to read it now, don’t you agree?”

“I suppose,” Lily said. “But I’m not sleepy.”

“Well I believe if you close your eyes and pretend, you might find you are. And if you don’t go to sleep, how will you be awake early enough to get those swimming lessons your father promised you?” Juliet continued. “You know how he likes to get out there before breakfast.”

Lily glanced at him. She wanted to do everything he did and thus it was a great incentive to get her to be agreeable. “Maybe I’m a little bit tired.”

“There you go,” Thomas said, smiling widely at her. “Just think about the waves.”

“Yeah.” Lily nodded. “The waves.” 

And thus with barely any grumblings, Lily lay fully down and kisses and goodnights were exchanged. Never having been privy to such things herself, Juliet sometimes wondered if they were more important to Juliet herself than to Lily.

“I love you,” she told Lily, who gave her a ‘ _mmm_ ’ back. “Do you want the light on? Or the door open?”

“No,” the little girl said firmly. “I’m not scared of monsters.”

Juliet could only nod at that because she suddenly felt tears threaten. 

* * *

*Magnum*

* * *

“Are you crying?” Magnum asked as he closed the door to Lily’s room. 

“No,” she said, brushing at the corner of her eyes, following her towards the living room. “Maybe.”

“Why?” Now he was worried. Juliet Higgins never cried. Well, occasionally she did. But mostly not. Certainly not during their normal putting Lily to bed routine. "What's wrong?"

“It’s nothing,” she said, even as she grabbed a tissue and sat down on the sofa. “I’m just happy.”

“So you’re crying?” he asked, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her. “Is this because I made you a princess? I added that for a bit of dramatic flare.”

“No,” she grumbled, “I just… she’s not scared of monsters.”

“And that’s making you cry?” he asked, even more confused. “She is almost five. She’s a big girl. And she knows we’d handle any monsters coming for her.”

She nodded, dabbing at more tears. “And don’t you see how amazing that is?”

He didn’t. 

Lily was a smart and happy if somewhat bossy little girl who knew they loved her would never let anything bad happen to her. Now that she was getting a little bit bigger and understood monsters couldn’t hide in her closet, why would she be scared of them? Especially when he regularly made sure to tell her tales in which the monster was always defeated and goodness won. 

Due to this train of thought, it took him a moment to realize just why it was a big deal to Juliet though. Important. Because even if he sometimes forgot, the tale of the sad forgotten princess who was hounded by a monster was still her. A little girl no one had told stories to or made feel loved.

“I do see,” he said, because maybe it was. “It’s amazing.”

Amazing enough to cry about though? He wasn’t sure.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, still sniffing. He found a small gap between her jeans shorts and top and started rubbing little circles with his thumb.

“But what’s with the waterworks?” he had to point out. Because it was weird. “I mean seriously, last time you cried I was bleeding to death. The time before that...” He thought it might have been when she was pregnant with Lily.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been really upset all week.”

“I noticed.” On Monday she'd yelled at the barbeque for burning their chicken. Then when he teased her about it she’d looked like she wanted to strangle him. Only to not five minutes later offer to make corn on the cob with mayo and parmesan, his favorite side. On Thursday there had been the delivery man incident. And now this... 

“I said sorry,” she pointed out.

“You don’t think?” he asked, even as he slid his hand to her lower stomach.

It had taken almost two years to conceive Lily and for the last few months before they did, Juliet had been almost as withdrawn as she was back in the early days before they started working together. So neither one of them had even brought up the idea of trying for another baby. Not when they had perfect, smart and demanding Lily. And each other.

“I’m too old,” she said, and he felt her tensing up.

He had to laugh at that. 

He didn’t know anyone who would call her old. She was still doing enough crazy yoga every day to make a 20 year old jealous of her flexibility. 

But he knew fertility had nothing to do with how she could stand on one hand or bend in very interesting ways...

And he didn’t want to make her think he wasn’t perfectly happy with their family of three. If she was. Because he didn’t want her to ever again feel like she had, when they hadn’t been able to conceive Lily.

“Maybe we should buy a test just in case,” she said quietly after a bit. “I mean… I just cried because...”

“You realized our kid was the most amazing kid in the world and we are the very best parents?” he suggested. “And the fact that you were wrong and there is in fact such a thing as happily ever after?”

“Happily ever after? Honestly Thomas,” she said, but there was such a light and joyful tone to her voice he couldn’t help but to grin. “There is no such thing.”

“You’re wrong,” he told her, shifting so he could look into her eyes. “You are absolutely my happily ever after.”

.

.

.

**End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this turned out nothing like how I planned it but it makes me kind of happy and I hope you all enjoyed it too!


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